Mason
“We have to make a decision,” Dana says. She flips through a bunch of papers, shuffling them back and forth a million times.
I’m still reeling from Kiran’s visit. All I want is to be alone in my studio. Not to mention Dana is frustrating the hell out of me with her endless babble. I reach out and snatch a paper from her. I hear the other ones fall to the ground.
“This one,” I say, flapping it around like a white flag.
“You don’t even know which one that is.”
“I don’t fucking care. They’re perfect.”
She takes the sheet from me. The paper starts to rip before I let go. “This is Jim. Remember Jim?”
“Of course I do. Nice guy. So we’re all set. Give him a call.” I move to stand. “Now that it’s settled, I’m going out to the shed with Molly.”
She grabs my arm. “Not so fast.”
I hold back a frustrated sigh and sit my ass back down. “Dana—”
“Jim twitched the whole time he was here.”
“Cut him some slack. He was nervous.”
“Or he was on meth.”
“He complimented Gram’s tea set.”
“Because he was interested in stealing it. I swear he was casing the place.”
Damn, why did I have to pick Jim? All the lawyers in the white house couldn’t defend that guy. The doorbell rings before I can come up with another argument.
“Another interview?” I ask.
“No. There isn’t anyone else. I have no idea who it is.”
Thank you unwelcomed solicitor for saving me. I shift, gearing up for Dana to walk away so I can make a hasty escape.
“Don’t even,” Dana says. “I’ll be right back.”
Dana says hello with a surprise in her inflection. The footsteps are soft, tentative.
“Who is it Dana?”
The sun’s bright today, and it flows through the open door. My heart pounds as the steps grow closer. She still smells the same.
“It’s Kiran,” Dana says.
“What is she doing here?” I curl my fingers around the wooden armrests of the chair.
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“Hi, Mason,” she says. “I’m sorry to come uninvited once more, but I hear you’re looking for a live-in companion. I’m here to apply for the position.”
I wonder if my ears are going bad too.
“Are you serious?” Dana asks.
“Yes.”
“No,” I say. “We’re fine.”
“We’re not fine, Mason,” Dana interjects. “I’m leaving in two days. We don’t have anyone. Please sit down.”
“Dana—”
“This is my house too, Mason.”
I’ve done my best to make sure Dana is an independent woman, the kind who can stand up to any man. Right now I wish I hadn’t worked so hard on that cause.
Kiran sits in the spot closest to me. It has to be her because Dana isn’t as demure. She plops down, almost bouncing. Did my sister always exhibit the traits of a baby kangaroo?
“Are you crazy?” I ask, my voice quiet so Dana doesn’t hear.
“Mason!” Okay, so I guess the baby kangaroo is closer than I thought.
“Hard to say. The jury’s still deliberating,” Kiran says.
I fight the smile. She has the same sense of humor, one flavored with a lot of salt. I hate her for this. For showing up just when I’ve gotten over her.
God, Kiran, it’s so fucking good to hear your voice.
“Can you take leave from your day job?” Dana asks in her interview voice.
“I’m a freelance writer. I can work anywhere in the country as long as I have my laptop, which I do. Of course you’ll have to understand this will be moonlighting for me. But I can set my own hours so it shouldn’t be a problem to work around Mason’s appointments.”
“Excellent,” Dana says.
“No,” I say.
“What about your home?” Dana asks, completely ignoring me. “Don’t you have to pay rent somewhere else?”
“I rent an apartment in Newark. My roommate will save my room and take care of everything until I return. She’ll probably enjoy having it to herself.”
I am pretending not to be interested on the outside. On the inside, I want to hear more. Ask her what she thinks of Goodrich, Dana. Ask her if she’s had any relationships. Ask her… Oh fuck, what am I doing? Why the hell would Dana ask her any of that? More importantly, why the hell do I care?
“What about your stuff? You’ll have to go home and get it, right?”
“I have a suitcase here. I can shop for what I need. My roommate can send me anything vital.”
“So you can start right away?”
“Yes.”
“And you realize we cannot pay you that much.”
“I don’t need a salary at all.”
“No,” I say again.
“Fine,” Kiran says, “pay me if you insist.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I say through gritted teeth. I sigh in exasperation. “She has no qualifications,” I say in Dana’s direction as if Kiran isn’t in the room.
“She has the most important qualification, Mason,” Dana replies, her voice huffy. “She cares about you. That’s really all we need.”
“Dana—”
My sister puts her hand on my knee. “Shuttie. Listen to me, butthole.”
Butthole—a term of endearment I haven’t heard since I was fifteen. It brings back such sentimental memories.
“Dana, get away from me. You stink.” Yes, I’ve also reverted to my teenage self.
She sniffs. “I do not. This is my new perfume. It’s organic and environmentally friendly.”
“Organic? What do they put in it? Decayed fruit and rats?”
“No, that’s just what I put in your dinner last night.”
“I thought it was an improvement from your normal cooking.”
She sighs, signaling we are done. Kiran is here. I can’t keep changing the subject with my really awful comebacks.
“Listen to me, bro.”
“Say your piece.”
“Do you really want me to go on this trip?”
“Of course I do, Dana. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for you.”
“Then don’t stand in my way. You promised you’d let me pick someone. I choose Kiran. I know this is awkward and weird, but I don’t trust anyone else with you.”
“You don’t even know her.” I wonder how Kiran looks as she hears this. I don’t have to see her face to know how much I’ve hurt her. Maybe it’s a good thing. “I don’t even know her anymore.”
“Doesn’t matter. She still cares about you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“She’s here, isn’t she? Look, Mason, if you don’t go through with this, then I’ll cancel the trip.”
“You can’t cancel. You’ve committed. You’ve accepted grant money.”
“If the choice is going to Antarctica or leaving you with someone unstable like Jim or downright sour like Dorothy, then I won’t go. My reputation will be ruined, but whatever.”
Damn Dana and her extortionist arguments. She didn’t need to go that far. My sister has been through hell, and I would never stand in the way of her dream. “You can go.”
“I didn’t hear you. Say it again.”
“You heard me just fine.”
“I know what you’re thinking, Mason.”
“That your perfume is crap?”
“That you’ll tell her to leave after I go. I’ve got that all figured out too.”
“Have you?”
“The reception will be spotty when we’re at sea, but I’ll be able to connect to the Internet once we reach port. Kiran will e-mail me every week with an update. If you fire her, I will fly back here and kick your ass.”
This isn’t lip service. Dana will really do it.
“Do you know how difficult it is to arrange emergency flights from an ice cutter in the almost frozen Ross Sea, Mason?”
“No idea.”
“Me either, but it sounds ridiculously expensive. So don’t make me do it.”
“Are we done?”
Dana kisses me on the cheek. “Thank you.” She claps her hands. “Where are my manners? We have a guest, and I haven’t even offered her anything. I’m going to make us tea. Would you care for tea, Kiran?”
“I’d love a cup.”
“Cool. Mason hates tea. Coffee, right Mason?”
“Affirmative,” I say, although I’m really thinking of the bottle of whisky inside the liquor cabinet.
The kitchen door closes. Kiran’s breaths are soft and steady.
“Why are you here?” I’ve asked the question so many times it’s on auto-play in my mind.
“Because you’re here.”
“That’s not an answer. I’m in an impossible situation.”
“Maybe so, but here we are. You were there for me when I needed a friend. I’m trying to return the favor. I understand your feelings have changed. I’d be lying if I said it’s not…” Her voice drifts off. She’s struggling to finish the thought. “Difficult. But I can deal if you can swallow down that stubborn lump of pride and let me help you.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a stupid plan.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time I followed a stupid plan.”